


This House Doesn’t Burn Down Slowly

by babybirdblues



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Character Study, Gen, and Dick fucks up a few times, and mistakes, based on headcanon though, but he loves his family, canon complient, there's lots of angst, well so it's mostly canon complient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-13
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-11-29 04:56:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babybirdblues/pseuds/babybirdblues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim was the little boy who looked at them - the Flying Graysons - all starry eyed.  The little boy who Dick told his parents would be a good little brother.  He vaguely remembers saying that they should get him a little brother just like Timmy - a precious, adorable, little boy - because Dick would be a great big brother and take the best care of him ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This House Doesn’t Burn Down Slowly

**Author's Note:**

> gifted to Ellie because neatoh doesn't have an AO3 that I know of. O 3O Based off neatoh's headcanon though because it made me sad and sad things make me write because my base code is angst with the odd fluff corruption.

Dick doesn't remember Tim at first: partially because they've both changed and partially because he doesn't want to.  He's gotten pretty good at ignoring the things he doesn't want to remember.  It was one of the things he gained from Bruce.  One of the many, potentially destructive things he gained from Bruce.

Anyways - it takes two weeks and an old photograph to remember.

Dick finds it the first Friday Tim stays with him.  The first night Dick starts to think that maybe Tim's something more than just another kid Bruce picked up.  It shows in the photograph: of Dick and his parents, and a little boy who just wanted to visit Haley's Circus for his birthday.

Tim was the little boy who looked at them - the Flying Graysons - all starry eyed.  The little boy who Dick told his parents would be a good little brother.  He vaguely remembers saying that they should get him a little brother just like Timmy - a precious, adorable, little boy - because Dick would be a great big brother and take the best care of him ever.

He doesn't get one.

Not from them.

Not from his loving mom - Mary, he'll _have to_ remember that her name is Mary - or from his strong dad - John, that's where he gets his John from.

Because.

They fell - and it take a bit to really sink in that Tim watched them fall too didn't he? - leaving Dick alone. 

Except he wasn't alone for long.

Bruce took him in.  The man-child that would be the saviour of Gotham who didn't know what he was doing when he decided to take on a child took him in and started a chain of events that landed Dick with little brothers and sisters.  Ones he didn't know he had wanted anymore.

He hadn't wanted them at first since having a brother or sister that his parents didn't get for him felt all too much like a betrayal to him.  It hurt.  It also might have been the way things were with Bruce - angry, tense, Alfred acting as the go between - when Jason came into the picture that caused a lot of the pain at first.  Bruce was his second dad, one that wasn't going to fall on him.  So, it could have been the feeling of Bruce's betrayal, of Dick's betrayal to Bruce, to his parents, of their - all of their - mutual betrayal that made the feeling of wanting a little brother fade more.

Jason was a cute shit of a little brother though.

Until he dies.

Then Dick's desire for a little brother is gone again.

Tim sort of, just comes out of nowhere.  It's half because Dick doesn't remember him - at first, because he does remember eventually - and half because Dick's trying so very hard to distance himself from all of that pain.  If he were to think back on it, Dick would probably admit that it was a stupid idea to focus so much on getting out and away that he didn't notice Tim sneaking in and towards. 

It would have helped if he had of remembered from the start.

But then again, Bruce did teach him how to ignore things really well.  Really, _really_ well.

Tim was the type of little brother he always wanted.

In fact, Dick kind of wanted his mom and dad to adopt Tim that day at the circus.  Probably due to the way Janet paid more attention to her phone and Jack paid more attention to Janet.  Nothing ever came of it though.

Funny how he ended up with Tim as his little brother still.

Somehow along the way it turned into Cass - sweet, quiet and deadly Cass - being the little sister he knew he wanted but at the same time he didn't.  Cass being the little sister and Jason and Tim his little brothers - though he did have to drag Jason back around a few times before he finally gave into cuddle time.

He was okay.

They were okay.

They were being a family - with Bruce and Alfred and Babs, sometimes Tim's Steph too.

Damian showed up shortly after everything was okay.

It changed a lot of things.

And.

Bruce died.

Bruce died and Dick fucked up.

He really did.  He focused too much on Damian.  He focused too much on a new little brother - that he didn't really want at first, not that he'll _ever_ tell anyone that - when he should have been focusing on the ones he had. 

Like Tim. 

Tim, the little brother he always wanted.  Tim who he wanted his mom and dad to adopt.  Tim who he eventually did get to adopt - well okay, Bruce officially fostered and then adopted him but Dick adopted him in spirit first.  Tim who toes the line so close - but brings back Bruce - and why did Dick not _believe_ _Tim_?  Tim's always been _Tim_.  Tim's always _known_.  Just like Jason has.  Just like Cass has.  Just like Dick has but Dick learned from Bruce first.  Dick was the first Robin.  Dick learned the first lessons and he learned some of them best.

Mary and John are his parents first and foremost though and they taught him things Bruce could never teach him.

He just takes a while to remember them, which makes him cringe because his mom would hit him so hard upside the head if she saw him today.  _But he remembers them_.  She doesn't have to come back to haunt him.

Really she doesn't.

It's harder - remembering isn't that hard once Dick _wants_ to - to drag Tim back once he's gone.  Definitely harder than bringing Jason home; but Jason didn't leave by choice - did Tim really? - he left because the Joker killed him.  Cass comes and goes but Dick always knows where she is.  It's just Tim.  Tim who lies to Batman.

But Dick will be _damned_ if he doesn't fix this.

He's managed to keep them: his small, pieced-together-by-tape-and-glue family.

Some days he doesn't know _how_.

But he knows now he'll fight until the end to keep each and every one of them.

 


End file.
